All-USA Boys Hockey Team

The 2017-18 American Family Insurance All-USA Boys Hockey Team was selected based on performance, level of competition and strength of schedule. For photo galleries, player bios and more, visit usatodayhss.com.

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Jay O’Brien, Thayer Academy (Braintree, Mass.): After O’Brien finished his junior season at Thayer Academy, he spent some time in Youngstown, Ohio, playing a few games for the Phantoms of the United States Hockey League, the top junior league in the country. He had the option to stay with the Phantoms as a senior, but the 5-11, 180-pound center decided the better move was to play out his final season of high school. With his strong skating and dazzling stick skills, O’Brien scored 43 goals, dished out 37 assists and terrorized opponents all season as Thayer (17-12-1) shook off a slow start to the season to reach the New England Prep School Athletic Council Large School Tournament title game. Those abilities and results on the ice are why O’Brien, 18, is the 2018 American Family Insurance All-USA Player of the Year.

COACH OF THE YEAR: Grant Paranica, Grand Forks (N.D.) Central: The Knights averaged 20 wins in their first three seasons with Paranica behind the bench before a senior-laden squad returned GFC to the promised land with a 27-0 season in 2017. Despite losing seven of its top nine scorers and its top four defensemen to graduation, the good times did not stop rolling this past winter. Behind a precocious group of juniors and sophomores, the Knights dominated the North Dakota ice hockey scene again in 2018, capping a 24-1-2 season with a second consecutive state championship. Those results earned Paranica, 53, the title of 2018 American Family Insurance All-USA Coach of the Year.